Sonic Forces: Rewritten
by ChaosGems
Summary: It's pretty simple. Sonic Forces was poorly written. But it had a great foundation. I wanted to try my hand at fleshing out its story and giving it the five-star treatment it should have received!
1. Chapter 0: A Review

**Chapter 0: A Review**

I want to get one thing straight: I love Sonic Forces. I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't. The game, while short, is challenging and fun. The avatar is an amazing addition, and I can't stop myself from going after all the outfit pieces. I replay the stages countless times. I love the little details, like the music changes at different sections of a level and the title screen changing after you beat the game. I love how cinematic they make the levels. The mood of the game is exactly what I've hoped for in a Sonic game since Unleashed. The concepts behind it, like the reality-warping Phantom Ruby, Null Space, and Infinite himself, are phenomenal. It introduced Infinite as a new, outstanding villain, and brought back old villains for you to fight.

But it is far from perfect.

When the trailer first was revealed at Sonic's 25th Anniversary party, I started crying. It looked like a Sonic game was _finally_ going to be taken seriously. We were going to get a dark storyline.

For those that have not read my previous stories, I tend to favor darker, more serious stories. Sonic Unleashed is one of my favorite games because it had a lot more at stake than most Sonic games. It actually tested Sonic's "unshakable" confidence. It's very rare we see genuine fear in his eyes. Part of me wanted to see that again.

Phrasing it like that makes me sound like a masochist, but I assure you, that is not the case. I'm looking at this from a writing standpoint. There is one very important thing that stems from putting your characters through unfavorable and terrifying situations: character development. We haven't seen a lot of that in the Sonic series lately, especially for its flagship character. And in my opinion, Sonic, as a character, has gotten stale. The one liners don't mean anything anymore. We get it, he's confident. But it's like that's all there is to him. We never get to see him when he's weak. Every hero has to have weaknesses. I'm not talking kryptonite, or anything related to counteracting power. This has nothing to do with Sonic's physical strength. This is about giving him a well-rounded personality.

Currently, Sonic is very one-sided. We only ever see him crack jokes and laugh in the face of danger. He's happy, confident, and loves chili dogs. Nothing ever phases him. He has been that way for years. I have no idea if this correlates, but he has lost depth ever since the voice actors changed. That, of course, is not their fault. Roger Craig Smith doesn't write the dialogue, he just delivers what he's given. The last games in which Sonic had a more well-rounded personality were Sonic Unleashed and the Storybook Series. He experienced a lot of trauma in those games, and he reacted appropriately (for the most part). He underwent painful transformations that stripped him of his speed every single night while trying to save a broken planet. He was betrayed and beaten within an inch of his life by someone he trusted, just because he refused to stand down. He was actively dying via a flame in his chest while working with artifacts of pure emotion, watched a friend die, and was forced to absorb _only_ the negative feelings of those artifacts and to use that rage in the final battle. In every one of these games (Sonic Unleashed, Sonic and the Black Knight, and Sonic and the Secret Rings, respectively), Sonic experienced some real pain. We saw Sonic at a low point. That helped to balance out his cocky attitude and cute quips the rest of the time, shaking that unshakable spirit. Sonic Forces is the first game since then that has provided Sonic with real stakes that affect him and everyone he cares about. It was an amazing opportunity for Sonic to grow, and additionally, to see a much more in-depth story comparable to that of the Adventure series. And yet, Sonic Forces failed spectacularly.

That failure is why I am writing this. I recently rewatched all the cutscenes, and almost the entire time, I was cringing, laughing, or groaning at how poorly written it was. The pacing was all over the place, throwing you into the action without explanation and ending it before you could absorb what was going on. The dialogue was laughable and shallow. Lines that might hold weight just came across as forced because of how quickly the disaster was forced on us. Many of those lines held promise that the story never delivered, and talked about things that were never seen. This includes characters' reactions to the devastation. In a game that was about war and the total destruction of the world, it was hard not to laugh at the corny motivational speeches or "the power of friendship" vibe. Above it all, there was absolutely no development in anyone. Tails supposedly broke down after Sonic was captured. Sonic was being tortured for six months. And yet, the next time we see them, they are acting _exactly_ the same, as if they had just walked out of an intergalactic amusement park. In fact, any character development that had been made in previous games seemed to have disappeared. The characters went _backwards_. Sonic Adventure made a point to give Tails a story arc in which he stops relying on Sonic to save him. What do we get in Sonic Forces? "Sonic, save me!" It could be argued that this is due to trauma or Tails "breaking down," but the game never gives us a reason to believe that other than a couple of throw-away lines. Sonic was supposedly tortured for months, but there is no indication of that in how Sonic acts. He never seems troubled in the _slightest._ He's making jokes and talking about chili dogs _directly_ after escaping from the place that tortured him. It's like nothing ever happened.

Watching how the story turned serious issues like war into a joke and knowing its potential hurts my soul. I had so much belief in this game and its story. But it treats it as if the traumatic things that happened or are insinuated to have happened, just didn't happen. The entire world's destruction is comparable to that of fighting off a boss that just stole a plate of chili dogs. It's just another day saving the world. Sonic Forces had a good foundation for its story, but it's full of holes. I want to do my best to fill those in. I want to see what a good story for Sonic Forces would look like. How did Eggman actually take over the world? How was Sonic defeated? How would Sonic's friends actually react to Sonic being captured? How would Sonic deal with the trauma of being tortured? Who is Infinite? What are the potential for his powers? Those are some of the questions I will be answering through this project. I will be rewriting Sonic Forces, including Episode Shadow and the comic prequels. It will have the same foundation, but with more depth and detail. I want to see what it would look like if proper attention had been given to the most serious parts of the game. Most importantly, I want to see how I would write it.

And so, without further ado, I present Sonic Forces: Rewritten.

-:-:-:-


	2. Chapter 1: In The Wrong Hands

Chapter 1: In the Wrong Hands

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Impatient. So impatient. The new systems were still booting up. 61%...67%...72%... Blueprints were spread across the functionless dashboard of the new base's controls, and Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik was poring over them intently. His agitated fingers drummed on the table, his glasses gleaming in the light of the glowing screens as he scanned the documents.

"No...no, no!" He suddenly swept his arm across the dashboard, sending the papers fluttering to the ground. "Still not good enough! Yeesh, why is it so hard to come up with new robot designs lately?!"

A yellow, cuboid robot scrambled in to scoop up the papers, while its red, spherical counterpart cocked its head at its creator.

"Doctor," Cubot spoke cautiously, "perhaps you should quit relying on old, failed designs and-"

"Silence!" Dr. Eggman turned to face him. "If I wanted input from the peanut gallery, I would have-"

100%. While he spoke, the base's lights powered on, all systems fully functional. Immediately, a beeping alarm interrupted his words. He peered at the screen curiously.

"Sir, it appears our scanners have picked up a new energy source," Cubot pointed out.

Eggman squinted at the radar's data readout. "Those aren't the readings for a Chaos Emerald. What in the world…" He trailed off, glancing out one of the tinted windows, where a faint red glow could be seen not far away. Eggman strolled out of his base, the door sliding open for him upon his approach.

The land outside was barren, cracked from months of drought. The winds had sifted the dirt out of the shallow fissures, revealing a crimson icosahedron-shaped gem. Eggman knelt down and picked it up.

As soon as he grasped it, a warped, buzzing sound filled the air. Eggman's vision of the landscape seemed to shift, warping until it formed a distorted view of a theme park. Bright lights lit the sky, refracting in beautiful colors off the surface of a massive gold statue of Eggman himself. Shiny new robots roamed the sparkling streets like toy soldiers. To top it all off, a massive marquee hung over the park, proudly proclaiming "EGGMANLAND."

Eggman's heart rate and breathing skyrocketed. He screamed in shock, stumbling back and dropping the gem. Just as quickly as it started, the vision faded with a similar buzz as he released the artifact. It fell harmlessly back to the ground.

Realizing that the vision had disappeared, Eggman quickly picked back up the gem. "No, wait, bring it back!" he cried desperately, but the vision did not repeat. He looked forlornly at the barren landscape, empty once again.

He raised the gem to the sun, letting it reflect the crimson light onto him as he thought. "So it was this little thing that caused that hallucination… Interesting." A sly grin spread across his face, the red light reflecting malevolently on his glasses. With renewed vigor, he turned on his heel and went back into his base.

"Orbot! Cubot! Make sure all readings are accurate and make sure my lab is up and running!" Eggman barked. "We have a new toy to research!"

Hours passed. The fading sunlight cast the golden glow of late afternoon over the base's metal walls. Doctor Eggman was bent over a set of screens. He scanned the number of calculations and test results he had run on the mysterious gem, which sat perched in a cylindrical testing chamber. A number of nodes and wires were hooked up to it, taking readings of its energy. Eggman stood up, looking at the gem, perplexed.

"Bah!" Eggman cried in frustration. "It doesn't matter how many times I fix the formula, the results for this thing are all over the place!"

Behind him, his two cronies were chattering endlessly.

"Oh, oh! Can I name it?" the yellow robot, Cubot, exclaimed. "How about Spooky Sapphire?"

"But it's not blue," his red friend, Orbot, pointed out.

"What about Anarchy Beryl?"

"Too derivative."

"Chaos Crystal!"

"Uninspired."

"Precious Stone?"

"Shut it!" Eggman snapped, but a grin spread across his face. "I've got it. The hallucination, the inconclusive readings...I will call it the Phantom Ruby."

Cubot started to make some excuse about that being his idea, but he was cut off by harsh alarms resounding throughout the base. Red lights flashed in warning. Startled, Eggman looked at the alert.

Outside, a horde of black and white jackals were charging towards the base. One of them stood above them all on a large boulder, raising a crimson scimitar into the air.

"Jackal Squad!" The leader proclaimed. "Move in for the kill! Don't let a single bit of Eggman's tech fall through our fingers!"

Doctor Eggman, in his signature hovercraft, floated out of the base, taking in the situation. Dozens of jackals charged towards his base. Despite the army of mercenaries charging towards him, it was the resolution on their leader's scarred face and the determination in his heterochromatic eyes that ticked him off. His face contorted with rage, and he clenched his fist around the aptly named Phantom Ruby.

"How dare they attack me!" he cried. "I am the one who should be ordering them! After all this time, I should have been focusing on building my army instead of-"

There was a flash of red and the buzzing from once before, and suddenly, hundreds of combat robots manifested around the base. The golden light of the sun reflected off their metal. They were as physical as if they were really there.

Despite being on opposing sides, the jackals' leader and Doctor Eggman shared a similar look of confusion.

It was Eggman who recovered first, his grin returning. "I could get used to this." He stood up in his hovercraft, placing one foot on the control panel. "Egg Army, ATTACK!"

The crowd of Egg Pawns simultaneously charged forward, while robots at the back of the pack readied cannons attached to their arms. Hearing the call to action, the jackal leader narrowed his eyes. He darted off his perch, cutting through any robot that stood in his way. "Don't let up!" he barked to his troops. "Leave the doctor to me!"

The screech of metal against metal pierced his ears as his sword sliced through robot arms, legs, bodies. A looming enemy in front of him lunged towards him, but he took the opportunity to leap onto its head and use it as a launch pad. He soared towards Eggman, letting out a mighty battle cry. Eggman cried out at the unexpected assault, instinctively covering his head with his arms. The jackal landed on the hovercraft, bringing his sword down to behead Eggman. Instead, the blade stopped, clanging against the gem Eggman still grasped. Immediately, reality around them warped. The base and barren desert disappeared, replaced with the blazing ruins of a city, a symbol of the destruction of the all-too-peaceful life they knew. They could smell the smoke that hung heavy in the air. They could feel the heat from the flames that burned the ruins. They could hear the fires crackling, and the sounds of distant sirens blaring. It was like they were transported to another location in time entirely.

The jackal looked around him, stunned by the sudden change. Eggman's face brightened in a cruel understanding, and he shoved the leader off his craft before he could recover. The jackal hit the ground with a thud, and he turned to shoot an enraged glare at the doctor. The sun behind him cast the gloating man in shadow. Everything about his aura now screamed malice. And yet, his hand was out in offering.

"That was certainly something," Eggman said with an alluring tone. "I can see your desire for change. Join me. Lead my forces. Together, we will reform the world!"

The nearby team members of the Jackal Squad looked up, hearing their enemy's request towards their leader.

"Don't listen to him!" one jackal cried. "We have what we need! Don't give in to him!"

The leader slowly got to his feet, dragging his blade across the ground. He was laughing to himself. "Interesting. I am not the only one who is tired of this world." He turned his back to Eggman, now facing new enemies; his own kind. The resolution in his expression was gone. Replacing it was a twisted grin. One hand covered his face, but between his fingers, his gold and blue eyes seemed to gleam.

"Very well, Doctor," he said. "No more will I go through the motions. I will help you change this world."

The Jackal Squad found they had no choice. Their life of bounty hunting was over. Under the direction of their leader and his new boss, they now stood alongside the Egg Army. Together, Eggman utilized their skills to gather materials and build his army. This time, not as some illusion. Eggman's new ally was tasked with the creation of this army, as he had already shown skill in gathering and leading his own troops. All the while, further research on the Phantom Ruby was conducted. And today marked the day for its first real-world test.

On a distant island in the sky, all was peaceful. Birds chirped pleasantly in the trees, whose leaves rustled in the breeze. Amidst this peace, positioned in the center of the ruins of an ancient shrine, was the Master Emerald and its guardian. Knuckles the Echidna was laying back, propped up against the Emerald, enjoying the now quiet Angel Island.

The peace didn't last, however. From behind closed eyelids, Knuckles saw a flash of light. Then he heard a voice.

"Knuckles!"

He opened his eyes to see a gray hedgehog flying towards him, surrounded in a teal aura of telekinetic energy. Knuckles got to his feet, squinting in confusion.

"Silver?" he asked, bewildered.

Silver landed in front of him, his face a mess of anxiety. "I'm so glad you're here!" he cried. "We have trouble! Eggman-"

"Wait wait wait, hold up," Knuckles said, holding up his hands. "How did you even get here? Didn't you go back to the future? Unless…" His face brightened. "Oh! I'm dreaming!"

"No!" Silver snapped, agitated. "I came here from the future with a warning!" Knuckles looked at Silver suspiciously. "As I was saying, Eggman-"

Knuckles looked past him, then his eyes widened. He grabbed Silver's shoulders and turned him around to face what he was looking at. "If this isn't a dream, then explain that!"

The ivy-covered ruins of the shrine had vanished. In its place stood a flourishing city built of stone. Massive stepped pyramids towered over the village. Roaming throughout the city were various echidnas in tribal clothing. A faint buzzing could be heard in the air.

"Pachacamac village…" Knuckles said in awe. "I guess Mystic Ruins isn't ruined anymore." Silver opened his mouth to speak, but Knuckles spun him around to face him again, staring him down. "You didn't teleport us into the past, did you?"

"N-No!" Silver protested. "I only came to your time to deliver my warning! I didn't do any of this!" He looked past Knuckles in shock. "Speaking of warnings, look behind you!"

A strange, watery being began to phase into view, the air seeming to shimmer around it. The water-like substance formed a humanoid figure with claws for hands. And yet, with its green bug-like eyes glaring down at them, Knuckles turned his back to it. He seemed to relax.

"Silver, you worry too much!" Knuckles laughed. "That's just Chaos! He's the guardian of the Chao. He's harmless!"

As he spoke, the being, Chaos, raised a watery claw and smashed Knuckles across the back of the head, sending him flying. Silver caught him, helping him back up.

"Harmless, huh?" Silver said.

"He's got a bad temper," Knuckles muttered, standing up. "I just have to put him in his place!" He cracked his knuckles, then jumped at the guardian, slamming his fist into him. The water absorbed the blow, and Chaos launched his own attack, shooting a jetstream of water from his other arm. Knuckles spluttered, falling off the Emerald's pedestal.

"Don't worry, I've got this!" Silver called. Chaos lunged towards him, but Silver spread his arms and Chaos suddenly froze in mid air, surrounded by a teal energy. However, Knuckles's punches had splattered small puddles of Chaos's watery body around the area. A watery tentacle shot out of one of these puddles, knocking Silver square in the face. Silver cried out and his concentration broke, releasing Chaos.

"He's got some new tricks. Looks like we're going to have to work together," Knuckles said.

Silver, grimacing, slowly got to his feet. "What do you need me to do?"

Knuckles put out his fists in a fighting stance as Chaos wound up his arm for another attack. Knuckles eyed the floating pink organ visible in Chaos's head.

"Just give me a clear shot at his brain."

Chaos suddenly shot two streams of water at both of them, and they simultaneously jumped out of their way. Chaos directed the streams to follow their movements, but Silver froze his body with his telekinesis, cutting off the stream of water. Before he could offer a counterattack, Knuckles launched himself at Chaos and punched him in the head, breaking past the water and hitting his brain. The moment he made impact, Chaos, and the village that had popped up around them, vanished. The buzzing stopped.

Knuckles landed, looking around, stunned. "What? Where'd he go? Where'd the village go?"

"This has to relate to whatever disaster destroyed my future," Silver said, mostly to himself.

Knuckles looked at him, now actually paying attention. "Disaster?"

"My warning, remember?" Silver pointed out. "According to what few records we have, some sort of series of disasters takes place that destroys the world. The reports make no sense. There's no consistency! All I know is that Doctor Eggman created some sort of weapon that allowed him to take over the world in my future. I came back here to try and head off this disaster."

"And you came to me…" Knuckles said thoughtfully. "There was no way I would have known about anything like that if you hadn't shown up. And if you came to me for a reason, I must have some major impact on whatever happens in the future!"

Silver just laughed awkwardly. "Well, I don't know about that-"

Knuckles grinned, clapping him on the back. "Not to worry, my futuristic friend! You have my support! I will gather a group to help you resist this future! I will lead this resistance!"

"Seems a little extreme, but thank you," Silver smiled. He flew into the air. "Come on! We better get investigating."

"Maybe the surface has some answers," Knuckles said. He smirked and ran towards the edge of the floating island, waving at Silver. "Meet you at the bottom!"

Silver let out a cry of protest and flew after him. They leapt off the island, floating to the surface below.

Above it all, unnoticed, was a familiar hovercraft. Eggman was grinning to himself triumphantly.

"A resounding success," he muttered to himself. "The Phantom Ruby's power is without parallel! At this rate, stealing the Master Emerald would just cause more trouble than it's worth. Finally, I have the resources I need to pull off my master plan!" He laughed to himself, gazing in pride at the gem in his hand. "Watch out, Sonic. Your world will be mine!"

-:-:-:-


	3. Chapter 2: The Unstoppable Force

**Chapter 2: The Unstoppable Force**

" _Shadow, come in. This is Rouge. We just received confirmation from G.U.N. about the location of one of Doctor Eggman's strongholds. The reports state that the facility has been highly active in the last few weeks, including an increase in the production of robots. A number of armed jackal civilians have also been spotted in the area. We believe they are working for Eggman. We know that the base contains sensitive and highly valuable data. Gather what information you can, destroy the facility, and report back to G.U.N. The coordinates are being sent to you now. Over!"_

"I copy. I am en route now."

Shadow silenced his intercom as he raced towards the jungle. Though the ground was coated in twigs and foliage, his skates easily glided over the rough terrain. Through the trees, he could see the lights from the facility in question. As he got closer, the undisturbed jungle gave way to beaten paths and clearings where trees had been leveled and stumps removed. Lighted pillars with intricate glowing designs sat on the edges of the openings. Hidden within them were cameras watching the surrounding areas for intruders. Shadow breezed through a number of these clearings without issue, focused on the mission ahead. He didn't see the gold eyes that gleamed in the shadows.

Suddenly, a figure dropped from the tree canopy and landed directly in front of Shadow, who was forced to skid to a stop.

"You are trespassing in protected territory," the figure spoke. "Leave now and you will not be harmed."

Shadow regarded the stranger with cautious eyes. With black and white fur, large ears and a long tail, and gold eyes, there was no mistake. It appeared to be one of the jackals he heard about in the report. The jackal donned some sort of gun or cannon attached to his arm with a belt of ammo strapped to his waist, confirming Shadow's suspicions.

"So you have joined the enemy," Shadow said, straightening to face the jackal. "I didn't think the infamous Jackal Squad would sink so low."

He heard several soft thuds around him. Shadow looked around and saw that more jackals had jumped from the trees, surrounding him. Each had augmented armor or weapons attached to their bodies. Five pairs of gold or blue eyes now stared him down.

"So you have heard of us," a second jackal noted.

"Don't think you're so high and mighty," Shadow sneered. "You are not so covert that G.U.N. has not detected you. We never stopped your petty thievery because you posed no threat. In fact, some of your missions were rather useful for us. Your attacks against Eggman enabled us to locate several of his hideouts."

The group seemed to collectively stiffen, anticipating his words.

"Even more convenient was your silence over the last few weeks. We've been tracking your movements, and that's how I found this place."

"You cur!" the head jackal shouted. He stood back and began to fire his cannon at Shadow, his face contorted in rage. Shadow glanced at him and suddenly vanished in a flash of blue light. The jackal's eyes widened, but before he could react, Shadow appeared behind him and jabbed his knee into his back, then knocked him out with a powerful punch to the temple.

" _Squad A, come in! Alpha, answer me! I've lost signal! Please tell me that's just a glitch in the system. What is going on?!"_

Shadow could hear Doctor Eggman's muffled voice coming through the intercom of the fallen jackal. Alpha, apparently. The rest of the squad recovered from their shock, and launched into a battle. Two of the members jumped to the top of the pillars that surrounded the area and began to fire their arm-mounted guns. The remaining two charged at Shadow, each equipped with a glowing dagger or sword. Several throwing knives whizzed through the air, narrowly missing Shadow as he charged towards them. One of them lunged at him as he neared her, but after a flash of blue light, her sword only slipped through empty space. Shadow teleported next to one of the gunners at the top of the pillar and grabbed his arm, crushing the barrel of the gun attached to it. He ducked behind him as the other shooter aimed at him, causing them to hit their own team. With a sweeping kick, Shadow knocked the injured gunner to the ground and vanished, appearing behind the second shooter. This time they expected it, swiping at his feet, but Shadow leaped off the pillar, doing an elegant backflip.

"Chaos Control!" Shadow shouted, and time seemed to slow to a near halt. Falling slowly, Shadow could take in the situation and plan his next move. The gunner above him was readying their aim while the other two charged towards him. One of them had her throwing knives ready to fire. Shadow looked at the pillar, and saw a faint blinking red light from a camera hidden in one of the crystal decorations. His next move was finalized.

"Chaos Blast!" He put out his palm towards the pillar, which shot a massive blast of red energy. Time replayed normally, and the pillar exploded apart, causing the gunner to fall and the pieces to hit the other two combatants. Shadow, too, was knocked back by the recoil, but he righted himself in midair and landed against a tree, used it like a springboard, and launched off it. The throwing knives embedded themselves into the tree where he had been. He shot towards the stunned shooter and grabbed them by the back of the head. He planted his feet and slammed their face into the ground, knocking them out. The other two jackals were just recovering from the force of the explosion. Shadow teleported behind the girl with the knives and forced her to the ground. The other one, seeing his counterpart attacked beside him, lunged towards him, his dagger ready to skewer him. Shadow reached up and grabbed his arm, stopping the blade in its tracks. Keeping the now struggling girl pinned under his knees, he grabbed the dagger, spun it around so the blade faced him, then jabbed the hilt into the attacking jackal's gut, knocking the wind out of him. He then grabbed him by the back of his neck and slammed his head into the girl's, knocking them both out cold. Finally, it was silent, aside from muffled chatter from their headsets.

" _Attention all squads! I've lost contact with Squad A. Converge on Sector A-1, confirm who is doing this, and stop them! Don't let them get inside!"_

Shadow huffed to himself, then sped out of the clearing, following the nearby trails. Up ahead, he saw something glowing in the trees. It seemed to suddenly get brighter and closer, and he quickly jumped out of the way as it caused an explosion of mud and stone where he stood. He heard footsteps behind him as someone dropped down. Hands clamped onto his shoulders, but he jabbed his elbow back, slamming them in the gut. He spun around, clasped his hands, and brought them down hard onto the ambusher's head, and they fell motionless. Out of the corner of his eye, Shadow saw another flash of light and he vanished, teleporting into the trees behind the shooter. He kicked them out of the tree and jumped down after them. Shadow stomped on the cannon they had, smashing it to pieces, then took off running once again.

It wasn't even a minute later when the whistling of wind caught Shadow's attention. Instinctively, he ducked, and several throwing stars flew over his head, just barely grazing his fur. He had reached another clearing, where several other jackals were waiting. He glanced behind him, and there was another standing in the pathway he had come from, pulling out more throwing stars. In an instant, they were flying towards him like bullets. At the same time, the jackals in front of him began to fire, creating a bullet hell.

"Chaos Control!" Shadow commanded, halting time. He adjusted the trajectory of the throwing stars by moving them in the air, knowing they'd keep their momentum, and got out of the way, jumping on top of one of the pillars. Time replayed, and the knives embedded themselves in the weapons the lineup of jackals wielded, stopping the fire. Before they could locate him, Shadow shouted his second command.

"Chaos Blast!" The pillar below him exploded, and the energy sent the jackals flying, hitting the trees and other pillars nearby. He teleported in front of the jackal who had been behind him on the path, but before he could attack, they slashed upwards with a knife. Shadow managed to narrowly avoid the blade, bending backwards. The attack forced him to take a few hops backwards, giving the jackal the upper hand. They took out a second dagger and charged towards him, keeping low to the ground. Shadow jumped over them and kicked them in the back. They shot into a tree, then slid to the ground.

Shadow sped through the clearing and onto the next paths, this time actively looking for more jackals. Luckily, their gold eyes and the reflection of their armor gave away the positions of those ready to ambush him. Shadow warped behind each one, one by one, hitting them in the back of the head or neck to knock them out of the tree. He chose to rely on the fall to incapacitate them, and continued on.

Finally, the trees gave way to the entrance to the facility: a long, man-made corridor. In his way was the final group of jackals. About six stood in front of him, blocking him off from the entrance, and they immediately began firing. Two dropped down from the roof of the tunnel, slashing or stabbing downwards with their blades. Shadow leaped out of the way, directly into the path of two more, who kicked him forward back into the arena. Besides the swords they had initially attacked with, they now held knives in their other hands. In a coordinated effort, the two with swords slashed towards him from multiple directions, limiting his ability to dodge. Thinking fast, Shadow raised his arms. The blades stopped dead in their tracks, clanging against the golden rings that lined Shadow's gloves. The impact caused a blast of energy that blew them both away. The swords clattered to the ground. Shadow smirked, twisting one of his rings. It came off with a click and fell at his feet.

There was a massive explosion of raw Chaos energy that overflowed from Shadow's body. The very air seemed to come alive with electricity, a force like a strong wind trying to blow everyone away. The jackals tried to stand against it, some of them stabbing blades into the ground to keep in place while others were blown back. For those that stayed put, the energy began to disintegrate and blow away their armor. Using the momentum the release of power gave him, Shadow threw his own weapons, Chaos Spears, that hit the jackals still standing in front of him one-by-one. The energy penetrated what little armor they had left, paralyzing them. Shadow's ears perked at the sound of a weapon powering up, and raised his arm just as a laser fired from one of the jackals who had kicked him. The laser hit his remaining inhibitor ring, bouncing off into the sky. He then vanished and appeared beside the jackal with the laser, kicking him into his friend. He grabbed them both by the heads and slammed their heads together. He looked up, ready to continue the assault, but the two that had attempted to stab him were out cold from the close proximity to the blast and the rest were paralyzed. He sighed to himself and walked back into the clearing, picked up his fallen inhibitor ring, and clicked it back into place. The overwhelming energy that electrified the air faded. The world started to tilt in his point of view. Shadow closed his eyes for a moment to collect himself. The paralyzed jackals could only watch him angrily. Once the flow of energy within his body redistributed itself evenly, he opened his eyes and raced into the facility.

As soon as he entered, alarms started to blare. The corridor floor was covered in a shallow puddle of water that Shadow glided seamlessly over. Over the PA system, he could hear Eggman's voice.

" _We've got an intruder! Shadow has entered the facility! Defense Squad Jackal has already been completely annihilated! All available troops, intercept that blasted hedgehog by any means necessary!"_

The tunnel came to an abrupt end with nothing but a ramp, presumably meant for aircraft. Shadow launched off it and flew into the facility. Various aqueducts provided power to the facility, and he utilized those to get around. A number of motobugs had been launched into the currents with him to try and slow him down, but they were merely an annoyance. Eventually, the aqueducts gave way to solid land, but the gap between them was guarded by numerous flying robots. Shadow used his homing attacks on these machines to cross, destroying them in the process, and raced past and through the few Egg Pawns and spike balls that were laid out on land. He was then launched back into the ducts.

Despite Eggman's ranting over the intercom system over needing to stop Shadow, the defenses, Shadow found, were weak. His biggest concern weren't the spiked balls or robots, but falling out of the channels. In no time at all, he was launched out of the ducts. A large gap stood between him and the core, littered with other flying robots and some fallen, glowing pillars. He used the same homing technique to cross the gap and get to land safely. He raced to the core's entrance, hiding behind a pillar while he reported his status to G.U.N., requesting that they pick up the defeated Jackal Squad.

While he made his report, the last of the jackals, who had been following him closely, was finally making his move. He hopped from pillar to pillar, baring no mind to the hundreds of feet between him and the ground, before landing on top of one to watch Shadow.

" _Hey you! I know you can hear me. You were supposed to lead the Jackal Squad, right? Your squad was useless! I barely got a read on the situation before they were destroyed! Find Shadow and clean up this mess!"_

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," the jackal muttered. He spotted Shadow behind one of the pillars, who was speaking into his intercom. The leader spoke up. "You!" Shadow looked up. "You're the one who destroyed my squad! You'll pay for that. I'll show you why they call me the ultimate mercenary!" He launched off the pillar towards Shadow, ready to attack, but the next moment, Shadow had vanished. Before he could take in where he had gone, Shadow had appeared beside him and kicked him into the sky. He felt pain in his ribs, floating in the air. Suddenly, Shadow was above him, and he slammed his fists down on him, sending the jackal shooting downwards. Pain in his head and everywhere else, embedded in the ground. Then Shadow was beside him again, and had kicked him into a pillar, destroying it. Pain in his gut and back, laying in a pile of rubble. What had happened? He looked up, and Shadow was standing over him, glowering at him. Shadow took in his face. One gold eye, one blue. The latter had a massive scar over it. Trembling. Eyes afraid. A pitiful sight.

"Worthless," Shadow sneered. "Every single one of you. I better not see your pathetic face around me ever again." Letting his insult hang in the air, Shadow turned his back to the jackal and disappeared to finish what he started. Those words had created a spark, and his negligence would be the start of the fire. The fire that would turn the world to ashes.

-:-:-:-


End file.
